The Wolf At My Door
by SWWoman
Summary: Carter discovers that Reese is one of the Wolf People.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm trying something new, this is a AU fic. The characters are close to canon as possible, but a few of them happen to be werewolves too. This is my first time writing AU, so I hope you like it.**

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**No, I don't own any of the characters from Person of Interest. I sure wish I did!**

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**Chapter 1**

Joss Carter felt like a going for a run. It was a beautiful evening and her son Taylor was off with friends and wouldn't be back until later, so she might as well get some exercise. She threw on her running clothes and headed for the park around the corner. She started jogging through the various pathways, taking no particular route, just going where her spirit took her.

In the middle of the park was a small hill that overlooked a grassy lawn area. As she reached the top of the hill, she looked down and saw a pack of Wolf People in their wolf form racing across the grass. She stopped, she had never seen a pack in this park before and they were so beautiful, just running and obviously enjoying themselves, that she wanted to watch for a few minutes.

While many so-called "normal humans" were scared of the Wolf People, Joss was not one of them. Oh, she had heard the stories growing up of Wolves going insane during the full moon and killing indiscriminately, but during her police and military careers, she had never seen a single case where a Wolf went berserk during the full moon. She knew the stories were just fairy tales.

Wolves had highly developed protective instincts and military and law enforcement careers appealed strongly to them. Joss understood that, she had similar protective instincts though she was not Wolf herself. During the course of her own military and police careers she'd had many occasions to work with Wolves. She had found that they were good people to have on your side in a fight. From what Joss had observed first hand, they weren't any more violent that regular humans.

Joss had often wondered what it would be like to be a Wolf. She had wondered what it felt like to feel the power of the Wolf as she ran, and to be able to morph into another creature. She knew that on rare occasions a willing human could be turned, but she had never known a Wolf well enough to ask about it.

Truthfully, she was not sure she would do it if the opportunity presented itself since so many people were prejudiced against Wolves. Too many people still believed those old stories of Wolves as blood thirsty killers, and many Wolves felt compelled to hide the fact that they were Wolf from friends and neighbors. She knew of several people who had turned their backs on friends they'd had for years because they found out their friends were Wolf. Political careers had been ruined by the revelations that the politician was Wolf. Things were slowly getting better for the Wolf People, but there was still a long way to go before they had complete acceptance from the rest of the population.

As she watched the pack run, she became aware of a large Wolf with salt and pepper fur on his neck and back, obviously the Alpha of the pack, staring intensely at her. She didn't feel he was any danger to her, he was probably just watching out for his pack by keeping an eye on the stranger. But the odd thing was that she felt this Wolf was not a stranger to her, there was something familiar about him, but she could not quite place it.

Joss gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and jogged off, leaving the Wolves to their run. It was time for her to be getting home anyway, it was dark and Taylor would be home soon.

She took the shortest route to the park exit closest her home, but the path took her through a thick stand of trees and brush. Mentally she kicked herself for being caught out so late, alone, in a secluded spot. She was a cop, she should have known better.

Her worst fears were realized when she turned a corner and found a man holding a knife standing in the middle of the path in front of her. He snarled at her and demanded her money. The man was thin and ratty with wild eyes, probably a junkie looking for money for a fix. He looked desperate, and she was unarmed and had no money. She had a feeling this was not going to end well for her.

"Hey, you don't want to do that," she said to him, trying to be calm and reassuring. "This is not a good idea."

The knife wielder started to advance on her and she got ready to defend herself. Then from behind she heard a low and deadly sounding growl. The would-be mugger stopped, scared, and then ran off. Joss turned slowly and saw the large salt and pepper Alpha standing there. Damn, this was a big wolf; made bigger by the fact that his hackles were up and his ruff was standing straight out. He was showing every tooth in his head in the scariest snarl that Joss had ever seen.

But as soon as the assailant ran off, the Wolf looked at Joss, and she swore it smirked at her. He wagged his tail, turned and disappeared into the vegetation off the path. Joss was entranced; the gorgeous Wolf had saved her. Now she was sure she knew him, she just had to figure out how.

* * *

Over the next several weeks, Joss thought about the big Alpha often. The fact that she could not figure out why he was so familiar to her was bugging her a lot.

But Carter did not have time to think about that now; she had a hostage situation to focus on. A murder suspect that she and Fusco had been chasing for over a week now was holed up in his ex-wife's house, holding his three small children hostage, while holding half the NYPD at bay.

Carter was crouched down behind a bush, hoping the hostage negotiator could work his magic and that this would end peacefully, but every instinct she had was screaming that it wasn't going to happen. The suspect's ex-wife's body was one of the most badly beaten she had ever seen in her career. This was one angry, violent man and he had nothing left to lose.

"Would you like some help, Detective?" Said a very familiar, soft, sexy voice at her ear.

Despite the circumstances, Joss couldn't help but smile a tiny bit. Having John Reese around made her feel darn near invincible, and she sorely needed that now.

"John, I'm glad you're here!" She exclaimed. John looked surprised. He had probably been expecting a sarcastic quip, but Joss didn't have time for their usual banter now. "I take it Finch already briefed you on the situation?"

"I know one of your suspects is holding his kids hostage." John growled low in his throat. Joss knew that John got very, very upset when someone messed with children.

"John, this guy is one of the worst I've seen in a long time. He's a true sociopath. You should have seen how much damage he did to his ex-wife's body. He literally beat her face to a pulp."

He nodded. "So, you think this guy will kill his family rather than surrender?"

She nodded. "That's what he says, and I believe it. He's got a long violent rap sheet and he's looking at life without parole or the death penalty if he surrenders."

"OK, I'm going in," John said grimly.

Joss grabbed his arm. "How will you get in without being seen? This place is surrounded!" She whispered urgently.

John smirked. "Trust me." And then he was gone.

A few minutes later, someone over the police radio reported. "I see a movement in the yard…Oh, wait, it's just a big dog."

Joss looked around the bush, and saw the shadowy form of a canine nosing around the yard of the house. To the other officers on scene it may have just looked like a large dog, but Joss knew better, she recognized that big canine. It was the salt and pepper Wolf from the park. She was stunned, John was a Wolf! That explained a lot. Suddenly, she understood how he survived the gunshot wound from Snow's partner, and why the big Wolf was so familiar to her. John was a fucking Wolf. And he'd never told her.

Carter was the only cop stationed on that side of the house, so she was the only one who saw Reese slide through a basement window. A few minutes later she heard a shot.

"Move in! Move in!" She heard the SWAT Commander screaming over the radio. The SWAT team broke down the front door and rushed in to find the suspect disarmed and out cold. When questioned, the young children insisted, "the doggie did it."

A few minutes later, Carter got a call from Finch. "Mr Reese would appreciate it if you would find the bag with his clothes under the hydrangea in the backyard, and meet him at the location I text you."

Carter found the bag containing the familiar dark suit and white shirt and drove to the address Finch sent her. It was a small house, neatly kept; Carter assumed that it was one of Finch's many properties that he and John used as safe houses.

The lights were off as Carter walked up to the front. John, in his Wolf form, came bounding around the corner of the house. Carter saw him and let one corner of her mouth quirk up and she shook her head. How the hell did he manage to smirk in Wolf form?

"Brought your clothes." Carter showed him the bag. He wagged his tail in thanks and then started pawing a rock that was partially hidden under a verbena that was planted by a corner of the house. Carter picked it up and discovered that it was one those fake rocks meant to hide a key. She took the key out and unlocked the front door.

Once inside, John led her to a bedroom. She put the bag on the bed and then left the room, closing the door behind her. She wandered out into the living room, idly looking at the books on the shelf when John came out of the bedroom in human form a few minutes later, tucking in his shirt. He looked so damn good that Joss barely restrained herself from asking if he wanted help.

John walked over and stood next to her. "I'm guessing you have some questions," he said softly.

She turned to face him, sounding a bit more irritated than she meant to. "Ya think? Why didn't you tell me you were a Wolf before?"

John sighed. "Wolf People have to be very cautious who we reveal ourselves too. I needed to be sure about you first. Then I saw you the other night watching us, and you weren't afraid, you actually looked like you were admiring us."

"I was. I like Wolves. I've worked with a few in my time. I like watching you run around in your Wolf form. I take it you're the Alpha?"

John admitted that he was. "I was born a Wolf, not turned."

"No mate?" Joss shocked herself, the question popped out before she thought about it. She hoped it came off as light and teasing.

Carter could not read the look he gave her just then, but he did look rather sad. "No. Given my job, and my rather long list of enemies, it's hard to find someone willing to fit into my life. Who would even want to try?"

Silently, Joss thought to herself, _I would_.

But, instead of saying it out loud, Joss turned and pretended to look out the window so John could not see her face. She swallowed hard at the thought of John having someone else for a mate. A lot of emotions welled up inside of her, and she was confused as to what she should do next.

She had realized she had deep feelings for the man next to her a long time ago, but she'd been reluctant to tell him that she cared for him; afraid he would laugh at her, or worse; never talk to her again. She figured that CIA agents didn't appreciate it when their assets got all mushy on them. Now things had just gotten more complicated. She wondered if John would even consider a non-Wolf for a mate? She couldn't think of a way to ask without revealing her feelings to him.

John was looking at her intently, trying to gauge her reaction to this new development. Finally, he could not wait any longer. "Joss, does this change how you feel about working with me? Being around me?" He asked softly, almost tentatively.

Joss turned back to him and smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "No John, this doesn't change a thing. I still feel exactly the same." She did not add the last part, that part she was thinking; _I still love you_.

John looked relived. "I'm glad." He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek, "I would miss my back up."

Back up? Was that all she was? She looked down at the floor so he couldn't see how much that hurt. "Always John, just call."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Carter leaned against the alley wall and looked down at her hands. They were covered in blood. She closed her eyes and pressed her hands against the wound in her gut. How ironic, she now had a bullet wound that matched John's, almost exactly like the one the CIA gave him, the one she was responsible for. But she wasn't a Wolf like him; she doubted she could survive her wound. She knew she would probably die here in this alley without the Wolf's strength. She was already beginning to feel dizzy.

Slowly she sank down the wall to a sitting position. Dispatch had acknowledged her call for help, but she was in a very, very bad part of town. Ambulances typically avoided this part of town, and she knew that the average response time to emergencies in this area was very long. Darren McGrady's brother had been shot not too far from here and it had taken the ambulance over thirty minutes to respond. She would probably bleed out before help reached her.

She was all alone.

A tear dripped down her cheek, she would never get to see Taylor grow up, go to college, get married, have kids. Her mother would raise him with all the love that she had lavished on Joss when she was growing up, but Joss wanted desperately to be there for Taylor herself. She wanted to meet her grandkids one day and bounce them on her knee. She wanted to see the man her son would become.

And she would never see John again. So many nights she had dreamed about him, how he would feel pressed against her body, how his mouth would feel on hers, how he would feel as he entered her. She never acted on her feelings for him, and now she was going to die without him ever knowing how she felt. Would he miss her? Would he even think of her? She hoped he would at least watch over Taylor for her.

A wave of nausea passed over her, and she fought it down. She was desperately trying to hold on, but she was slowly losing the battle and she knew it. She tried to steady her breathing to keep the panic at bay and to buy herself just a few more precious seconds. Her eyes closed and she leaned her head back against the alley wall. She wondered how much longer she had before the darkness took her forever.

"CARTER!" Her eyes flew open. She almost couldn't believe that John was kneeling in front of her. She had been thinking about him, did her mind conjure him for her, so she would not be alone in her final minutes?

Then he touched her, demanding to see her wound, that's when she knew he was really there. "Finch, where's that ambulance?" He was almost pleading. "She doesn't have twenty minutes," he cried, pressing firmly on the bullet hole in her gut.

"Joss, you need to listen to me," he said, touching his forehead to hers. With an effort she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Joss, the ambulance is too far away, it won't be here in time…"

"I know."

"Shhhh, I can save you, but I'll have to turn you. A Wolf could survive this wound; I did."

"You want me to be a Wolf?" Joss was not quite sure she had heard him right.

John hesitated, and then in a hoarse whisper said, "I want you to live, whatever it takes. But being a Wolf can be hard; there's a lot of fear and prejudice against us."

Joss smiled a bit. "You are talking to a black, woman, cop here, John." Her own voice sounded so weak, even to her.

"Joss, let me turn you now, please! I can't lose you." He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "I can't lose you." He repeated in a broken voice.

Joss looked up at him, her vision was already starting to get black and fuzzy around the edges, and she knew she did not have much time left before she passed out. "Do it, I want to live," she whispered.

Immediately John was gone and the salt and pepper wolf was in his place. The Wolf tore open her shirt and bit down hard on her upper arm. Joss cried out in pain, but the Wolf held on tight, staring at her so hard she was surprised that his blue eyes didn't burn her.

Then she passed out.

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Joss awoke in a hospital bed. The wound in her gut hurt, but not as much as it should have and all the nausea and dizziness she had felt in the alleyway were gone. For someone who had been shot in the stomach and turned into a Wolf, all in one night, she didn't feel too bad.

"How are you feeling?' Said a familiar soft voice. John's smiling face came into her view. She became aware that he was holding her hand.

"Okay, I guess," she managed to croak out. Her mouth felt like she had been sucking on cotton. John produced a cup of water with a straw and held it for her so she could drink. Plain, room temperature tap water had never tasted so good to her.

"How long was I out?" She asked when she was finally able to talk.

"It's only been a few hours."

"Taylor?"

"He's here with your mother, asleep in the waiting area."

"Is the patient awake?" A cheerful voice called out. Joss turned her head to see a short Asian man wearing scrubs and a huge smile enter the room.

"Hi, Mike. She's awake." John obviously knew this man pretty well.

"Hi, Detective, I'm Dr. Mike Cho. I took care of you when John brought you in. I also run with John's pack."

Joss smiled at the man. "Thanks for patching me up, Doc," she croaked out.

"My pleasure, it's an honor to care for someone so important to my Alpha. Let's take a look at your wounds, shall we?"

_Wait_, Joss thought, _Did he just say someone so important to my Alpha? _She snuck a look at John to see how he reacted to that, but John was intently watching the doctor examine her.

Dr. Mike started with the bullet wound. "Not bad at all, all things considered. You are lucky you had an Alpha around to turn you in time; you were very close to bleeding out."

Joss looked over at John again; he was standing there looking very grim. She squeezed his hand, "I'm fine John, thanks to you." He didn't say anything, but he gripped her hand harder.

Dr. Mike checked her bite wound next. "Look at that, almost all healed already. John you are one freaking awesome Alpha." Joss looked down and was shocked to see that the puncture wounds from John's teeth were only small pale puckers. "How…?" She started to say.

"Power of the Alpha, Detective," Dr. Mike explained. "Their bite marks heal incredibly fast. Had a non-Alpha Wolf bit you, it would be healing much more slowly, and the turning process would not have been fast enough to save your life."

"I took the liberty of leaving the bite off your medical records," the doctor continued, "Not everyone is a fan of the Wolf, so it's best to be discrete. You get to choose who you tell about your turning and when."

"We appreciate that, Mike. When do you think I can take her home?" John asked quietly.

_When can YOU take me home?_ Joss thought John was being a bit presumptuous there.

"Coupla days or so, I think, if she keeps healing at this rate. I take it you will be spending your nights here?"

"Yes, I'll be here."

_OK, yeah, that was getting presumptuous_. Joss raised an eyebrow at John, but he ignored her.

"See you later then."

"Thanks for everything, Mike."

Joss looked up at John. "You don't have to stay John; I'm perfectly safe in the hospital," she growled.

John touched his hand to her cheek and stroked his thumb along her cheekbone. "You are safer than you know; this is not a regular hospital, it's a private clinic for Wolf People, owned by Finch. He calls it my 'health insurance'. He bought it after my run-in with Snow; I guess he wanted to be sure I wasn't going to have to be patched up in the morgue again if something happened. Most of the staff are Wolf, and they are fully equipped to handle emergencies. I brought you here because they know how to treat someone who has just been turned."

"Well, see then, you don't have to stay with me," Joss said. "Don't you have a number?"

"You're my current number and I'm not leaving you alone." His voice grew husky and he looked away. "I came so close to losing you, and the triggerman is still out there."

Joss was touched by his concern and she grabbed his hand again. "Thank you for saving my life again."

He gave her his best smirk. "My pleasure, detective. Now I'm going to get your son and your mother."

When Taylor and Joss's mother, Alice, entered the room, Joss was able to sit up and reassure them that she was going to be fine. The doctor had obviously briefed them on the shooting, but had left out the part where John had turned her. John and Dr. Cho weren't sure how her family would take the news and decided to leave that for her to tell them.

However, Alice was quite familiar with Wolves. Joss's father had been a cop and she had known several Wolves through him. She taught high school for a very long time, and had had many Wolf students over the years. So all it took was one look at John's unusual eyes that could appear blue or green or grey, and she knew exactly what had happened.

"You're Wolf, aren't you?" She said, leveling a penetrating gaze, sharpened by thirty-five years of teaching high school in the New York public school system, at John.

John met her stare calmly, "Yes, I am." He didn't smirk, which was his usual response to being questioned, he simply stood tall and straight next to Joss' bed, hands clasped in front of his body, calmly waiting for Alice's reaction to his revelation. He had seen newly turned Wolves rejected by their non-Wolf relatives many times. He had no idea how Joss's mother felt about Wolf People, and he could only hope by saving her life, he had not caused a rift between her and her family.

"Did you turn her? Is that how she survived a wound like this?"

Joss broke in. "Yes mama, he did. _With my permission_. I was going to die in that alley, it was the only way."

Alice looked down at her daughter, a tear trickling down her cheek. "I'm just so glad you are alive and I didn't lose my baby girl." Alice sat on the side of the bed and pulled Joss into her arms. "You know it makes no difference to me that you are Wolf now; I just wanted to know the truth."

Joss returned her mother's hug, relieved that her new status as a Wolf didn't matter to her mother. "I'm going to be fine, mama."

Alice held onto her daughter for a minute then let go and stood up wiping the tears from her face. "Look at me, creating a big teary scene. Sorry for all the waterworks."

John smiled kindly at her. "Joss did have a very close call. You have a right to some waterworks."

Alice smiled back at him through her tears. "Thank you for saving her. Words just seem so inadequate, how do you properly thank someone for saving your child's life?"

"You don't need to thank me; she's pretty important to me, too."

_Did he just say I was important to him?_ Joss thought, in shock.

"So, John," Taylor piped up, "What does a guy have to do get turned?"

John arched an eyebrow at him. "First, turn eighteen. The Wolf Code does not allow us to turn minors except in extreme cases. We can discuss this when you turn eighteen, not one minute before."

"Oh, MAN!" Taylor whined.

While John and Taylor were talking, Alice gave John a long, hard, appraising look that went unnoticed by both Joss and John. She had a feeling John was going to be a fixture in their lives for a very long time.

After Taylor and Alice left for the evening, Joss took her meds and prepared for sleep. She had assumed that John would sleep in the other bed in the room, but he crawled on to her bed, put his arms around her and maneuvered her so her head was on his chest. She smiled and snuggled down happily. She could get used to this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Carter had been asleep for a couple of hours, but John could not rest. He could not get how close he had come to losing her out of his mind. His arms tightened around her a bit. Thanks to the heavy duty medications she had consumed a few hours earlier she slept peacefully, completely oblivious to the storm that raged in John.

Fortunately, Joss's number had come up again; John had already been on his way to find her and was only a few blocks away when she had been shot. Finch had been able to track her phone for him and he knew exactly where to find her. If he hadn't, he would not have found her in time. Reese still did not know why she had been lured to that alley and shot, but Finch and Fusco were already examining her case files looking for clues.

He looked down at the woman in his arms and he could not help but smile. He had realized that he loved her months ago, and had wondered what to do about it, or if he should do anything about it at all. He had pretty much decided to leave it alone and settle for being her friend and colleague. Death and danger shadowed his every step, making him lousy relationship material, especially for a single mother. It's not like he could just call her up and take her on a date. When you are being hunted by every law enforcement agency in the country, a casual date suddenly becomes a logistical nightmare.

He thought back to the night he had finally told her he was Wolf. He had been so afraid that she would reject him; but she had taken the news in stride and, as far as he could tell, it never made a bit of difference to her. He should have known that Joss Carter could handle the news; she had dealt coolly and calmly with every other curve ball he'd thrown her way. She had stood shoulder to shoulder with him through gun fights without batting an eyelash. She had watched him fall out of a burning car trunk, and simply asked him if he needed a ride like it happened every day. She had gone toe to toe with CIA agents, Mafia Dons, wife beaters and gang members without fear and told them where to shove it. He realized that he should not have doubted her for one minute.

Reese sighed as he remembered how she had asked him about a mate. He wished he had had the courage to tell her then. Wolves mated with non-Wolves all the time, but he had been too afraid to tell her that she was the one he had hoped for, yearned for, wanted more than anything else. No, instead he had told her he would miss his "back up." As Taylor would say: "Lame!" John could stare death in the face without fear, but when confronted by the woman he loved, he had turned tail and run.

But here they were, snuggled together in a hospital bed. He figured the cat was out of the bag now; she had to know he cared for her beyond a simple working relationship. He kissed her gently on the top of her head. The way she had curled up next to him told him his feelings were at least partially returned. The question was, now what? She was still a cop and he was still a wanted man. She was a good person, he was a murderer many times over. Even if she wanted to give a relationship with him a try, she had so much to lose and very little to gain from being with him. Did he even have the right to ask her to try?

His thoughts were interrupted by Finch's voice in his ear. "Mr Reese, are you there?"

"Yes, Finch, I'm here."

"Are you still at the clinic? How is Detective Carter doing?"

"Yes, I'm at the clinic and Joss is going to be fine. Is this a social call?"

"Of course, I always make social calls at 2:16 in the morning," Finch said with just the slightest hint of sarcasm. John could not help but smile and chuckle a bit at his employer.

Finch continued. "Actually, I have been keeping an eye on the clinic security cameras. There is a man who matches the description of the person who shot the detective lurking outside. I think he is casing the place, looks like he is trying to finish the job."

"On it, Finch, thanks."

Reese very gently disengaged from Carter. Thanks to the medications, she barely stirred as he slid out from underneath her and slipped a pillow under her head where his chest had been. He quickly kissed her hair and murmured, "I'll be back." She didn't so much as twitch.

He walked down the hall until he found the person he was looking for, an orderly named Lassen who was six feet six inches of pure muscle and a Wolf from his pack. "The person who shot my lady cop is hanging around outside, come with me."

Lassen simply nodded and did as his Alpha requested.

They exited the clinic through the back door, with John going left and Lassen going right. They walked around the building, approaching the gunman from different sides. Just as John had hoped, the would-be assassin saw Lassen first, the man was so big and he stood out on the street in his scrubs. The gunman took one look at Lassen and turned and ran, right into John. All John had to do was clothesline the man, and he went down, out cold.

"Too easy," John purred, with a particularly wolfish smile. Lassen chucked.

John took some zip ties out of his pocket and tied the man's hands and feet. Lassen picked him up, and flung him over his shoulder like he was nothing and followed John to his car. John opened the trunk and Lassen tossed the gunman in like a sack of groceries.

John turned to Lassen. "Thanks. I'll call Fusco to sit with Joss until I get can get back. I don't want her left alone until I know who's trying kill her."

Lassen nodded. "I'll sit with her until Lionel gets here. She will not be left alone, I promise, Alpha."

John drove off to his favorite interrogation spot in an abandoned warehouse down by the docks.

* * *

Joss's eyes fluttered open, and it took her a few seconds to remember where she was. She got a small smile on her face, thinking of how she had fallen asleep in John's arms. However, when she glanced over at the only other person in the room, she saw Fusco, not John.

Her face must have registered her surprise, because Fusco chuckled and said, "I know, not the face you were expecting to wake up to."

Joss smiled and took Fusco's hand, "No, but I'm glad to see you partner."

Fusco squeezed her hand. "Of course you are, I'm much prettier than Wonder Boy. Besides, until he figures out who tried to cap you, he doesn't want you left alone."

"I see. Your turn to babysit?" Carter was irritated by Reese's protectiveness.

"Yeah. Reese caught the triggerman lurking around outside last night. He's off working him over as we speak." Fusco pretended not to notice Joss's irritation. He was firmly on John's side in this particular argument.

Joss frowned. "He's not going to kill the guy is he?"

"Naw, he promised me he'd turn him over to me when he was done, relatively unharmed. But for Suitman that just means the guy will be alive, sorta."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Reese sat in his chair and waited patiently for his prisoner to wake up. He stared at the man who nearly killed the woman he loved, barely repressing the urge to rip the assassin limb from limb. But Reese knew that would not get him what he needed; he needed to know why Joss had been lured to that alley, and who wanted her dead. He needed to protect her. He needed to keep her alive.

Fusco had already run the fingerprints of the man in front of him, and John knew that he was Sergio Grezetti, and he had no known contact to any of Joss's cases, so he was probably a hired gun. This man was going to tell John what he needed to know to keep his beloved Joss alive.

The man groaned and came around slowly. John watched as the man realized he was immobilized, tied to a sturdy steel office chair, and as he slowly recognized Reese.

"I'll tell you nothing," Grezetti slurred, still feeling the effects of the blow that knocked him out.

"Oh, you will tell me everything," John said calmly. He leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees and smiled a predatory smile that did not reach his eyes, leaving them hard and cold. "You nearly killed someone very important to me and I WILL find out who hired you to kill her. Keep in mind I don't care what damage I do to you in the process."

On a table in front of the hired gun was a leather case. With a flourish, Reese unrolled it revealing a row of very large and very sharp needles. Grezetti's eyes grew wide and Reese smirked in satisfaction. He reached over and plucked one of the larger needles from the case and held it up in front of Grezetti so that he got a good look at it. Grezetti visibly recoiled.

"Nice, aren't they?" Reese said, pretending to ignore Grezetti's distress and he slowly turned the needle in his fingers like he was examining it, making it flash in the light. "I inherited them from an old foe, an East German secret service agent by the name of Kohl. Funny thing about Kohl, he was such a monster of a man that his own wife ran away and pretended to be dead so he wouldn't find her. Kohl was very, very good with these needles, he found them…effective."

Grezetti whimpered as the light glimmered off the point of the needle that John held only inches from his face.

Reese continued, "I can tell you that they hurt, they hurt a lot when they are used properly. Kohl used them on me once, so I had a chance to study his technique. You know, I have been tortured a few times myself, but this method hurt more than any of the other methods I have been subjected to."

Reese paused and stared at Grezetti with the hard, cold eyes of a remorseless killer. "I've been wanting to try it for myself," he whispered softly, his voice full of menace.

Reese stepped behind Grezetti and inserted the needle in his elbow, just like Kohl had done to him all those months ago. Grezetti screamed. Reese knew then it would not be long before he had the name of the person who had hired this hitman to kill Carter.

* * *

Less than an hour later, Reese was walking out of the warehouse feeling quite satisfied. Kohl had been right; Grezetti, a hardened professional hitman, had cracked like a cheap drinking glass. John had the information he needed and Grezetti only had few a holes in him.

Reese took a few minutes to stand at the edge of the dock, enjoying the feel of the sun and the wind on his face. He closed his eyes and took deep cleansing breaths to bring himself out of the dark place where he'd had to go in order to extract the needed information from Grezetti.

For years he had dwelt in that dark place and grown so used to it that it was comfortable to be there. His old partner, Kara Stanton, had done all she could to keep him in that dark place, constantly reinforcing that he was a monster and the dark is where they belonged, that they were the dark. He had believed her, and his soul had shriveled.

But then Finch found him and brought him out into the light, so now he only visited that dark place when he absolutely had to. But for his Joss he would walk barefoot to the gates of Hell and back. He smiled thinking of her and his heart felt lighter immediately. She was the best antidote for that ugly and dark place where the monster inside him lived. The monster was simply no match for that tough, smart and incredibly hot woman. One smile from her would send the monster fleeing back to its hole.

Turning to walk to his car, he called Fusco. Lionel answered on the first ring, "Ya got something?"

"I gifted wrapped the hit man for you. Down at the docks. Usual place."

"Aw, you shouldn't have. And here I thought Carter was your favorite."

"She is, she has nicer legs." John tried not to let the thought of Joss's incredible legs distract him; he might walk into a wall. "How's she doing?"

"Good, good. She had some toast and juice a little while ago. She's sleeping now."

"Good, stay there with her, I'm going to head home and clean up, I should be there in about an hour. Grezetti isn't going anywhere."

"Speaking of the turd, what did you get out of him?" Fusco spat out.

"Does the name Edwin Dalton ring a bell?"

"That little shit? Oh man, I am so not surprised by that. I guess he figured mommy's money was not going to buy his way out of that murder charge. Joss had him dead to rights for murdering that girl." John smiled; he could hear the anger dripping off Fusco over the phone. Fusco was almost as protective of his partner as he was.

"According to Grezetti, Dalton is panicking a bit, his legal team is almost out of delaying tactics, and the trial is scheduled for next month. He didn't count on the tenacity of Joss and the ADA assigned to the case. Grezetti was supposed to kill the ADA next."

"Yeah, this case has been dragging out since before you came to town, before we even knew Joss. Are you going to pay Dalton a visit? It will be a few hours before I can get Grezetti questioned and bring Dalton in. You get first crack at him if you want. You could save the state of New York the cost of a trial."

John thought about it, there was nothing he would love more than a chance to snap the neck of the man who put a hit out his precious Joss. But he shook his head. "No, Joss has been waiting too long to see Dalton go down, I'm not going to take that satisfaction away from her."

"Grezetti going to testify?"

"Yep. If he goes back on his word, call me. I'll persuade him again. See you in an hour."

"I'll be here, Alpha."

* * *

Fusco hung up and noticed that Joss was awake. "Was that John?" She asked, her voice still heavy with sleep.

"Yep, he said he'll be here in an hour. He wants to go get pretty for ya first."

Joss smiled as she sat up, then she paused for a second and her eyebrows knit together in a small frown. "Did you just call him 'Alpha'?" She asked curiously.

Fusco grinned. Joss never stopped asking questions. "Yeah, he's my Alpha, I run with his pack. He turned me last summer."

"What? Why didn't you tell me? When did you find out he was Wolf?" Joss glared at her partner.

Fusco snorted, he knew she was going to be unhappy to find that she was the last to know about John.

"I found out he was Wolf a couple of months before he turned me. We got into a tight spot on the Higgins case and he had to go Wolf to get us out of it. Then I got my ass kicked by those punks in Chinatown, remember that?"

Joss nodded, Fusco had been attacked by a couple of drunks when he tried to arrest one of their friends during a street party that had gone bad. He'd had to take a couple of days of medical leave to recover. She had known at the time that it hurt his pride badly and he had taken a brutal ribbing from the other cops at the precinct for a few days when he returned to work.

"So I asked Alpha to turn me, to avoid a repeat of that fiasco. He was reluctant at first, he had to be sure I was sure. Quite frankly I think he also wanted to be sure I was permanently going straight, too. Last thing he needs is to be responsible for a dirty Wolf cop. He finally decided that I would be an alright Wolf, and here I am."

"So I'm the last to know? Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, clearly irritated.

"John asked me not to. He wanted to tell you about the Wolf thing himself, in his own time. It was important to him." Fusco shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "You know he's sweet on you right?"

Joss blushed. "I know he seems to care for me, but then I think maybe he's just worried about me because he just turned me."

"He didn't worry about me when he turned me. Not like THAT."

"You didn't have a bullet in your gut either."

"Joss, I'm telling you, he wants you and the position of Alpha Female is open. I'm just sayin'."

"What? You cannot be serious! I've only been Wolf for 24 hours! I can't be an Alpha Female! I don't know anything about being a Wolf, much less how to lead a pack!"

"Look, I know I'm kinda new to this Wolf thing too, but I don't think that matters. All that matters is that the Alpha digs you. You're a natural leader, Joss, and the pack will follow you anyway because they follow John."

Joss stared at her partner in shock. Her, an Alpha Female? That just seemed to be too good to be true. A little thrill went down her spine at the thought of being John's mate, but she sternly repressed it. She would not get her hopes up.

Dr Mike chose that moment to enter the room. "Hey, Lionel, good to see ya!"

"Mike," Lionel nodded, "I hear you been taking good care of our girl here."

Mike laughed, "I had to, you should have seen Alpha when he brought her in. He was frantic."

"John Reese, frantic?" Joss was confused. She had seen John in plenty of stressful situations, but she had never seen him 'frantic'. She had never seen him anything other than calm and deadly.

"That's how I knew you were important to him, Detective. He did not want to let you go, I had to pry you away from him. I almost called down to maintenance for a crowbar so I could examine you." Dr. Mike cracked as he gently peeled back the bandages on her stomach and checked the wound.

Fusco laughed at Carter's obvious confusion. "See, Joss? It's not just me. Alpha is into you."

Dr. Mike replaced the bandage. "Most definitely, detective. Look, I don't know what kind of relationship you've had with Alpha in the past, but he does care for you. I've seen a lot of Wolf couples in stressful situations over the years as a doctor, and given his reaction to your injuries, I was surprised to find you were not a bonded pair already."

"Bonded pair?" Joss frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Sorry, I forgot you were new to this. When Wolves take a mate, they form a close bond. It's hard to explain, but it's more than love. The more poetic ones among us have compared it to sharing a soul."

"That's sounds pretty hardcore," Joss said, her mind still reeling from the thought that John Reese might want her for a mate.

"Oh it is," Dr. Mike replied. "We don't mate lightly. It's something we think long and hard about before committing."

"You got a lot to think about, Joss," Fusco said.

Carter didn't say anything, she was lost in thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Dr. Mike sent Joss home a couple of days later. Her bite mark had faded so much that it was very hard to find if you didn't know exactly where it was, and the wound in her gut was fast healing. However, Dr. Mike wanted Joss kept quiet for at least another week since the transition to Wolf could be unsettling for most people, and she was recovering from a major life threatening wound on top of being turned.

John and Taylor picked her up from the hospital and brought her home. Joss kicked herself for living on the second floor of a building that didn't have an elevator; she was still a little shaky on her legs and was concerned about her ability to climb stairs. She needn't have worried though, with John's strong arm around her waist, her feet barely touched the steps as he half carried her up to her floor. It was discomforting to have to rely on him like this and she was a bit flustered. He pretended not to notice.

Taylor followed them up the stairs, carrying his mother's bag, grinning from ear to ear. He was not used to seeing his normally cool and calm mother reacting to anyone the way she was reacting to Reese, and he was quite amused by it. At least his mom had good taste in men. Taylor was secretly hoping the Bad Ass Wolf would stay around.

Alice was waiting for them in the apartment cooking up a storm. She showed those around her that she loved them by feeding them, and she loved her daughter and her grandson more than anything else. Her daughter coming home from the hospital after surviving a should-have-been-fatal gunshot wound was cause for celebration, and Alice was going to fix a meal worthy of such an occasion.

Alice also had an ulterior motive, she also wanted John to feel comfortable and welcomed, so he would continue to hang around Joss and Taylor. Joss was Wolf now, and John, an Alpha Male, was clearly interested in her. Being the mate of an Alpha would place Joss at the very top of the Wolf hierarchy. Alice could see how much John cared for Joss and she could tell Joss returned John's feelings. Alice worried about Joss in her dangerous profession and having a man/Wolf of John's obvious competence around comforted Alice somewhat.

While Alice never would have chosen the life of a cop and the life of a Wolf for her daughter, she would make the best of what was in front of her. She would have preferred Muriel Baker's successful accountant son with the big house in the suburbs had the choice been up to her, but she serenely accepted that the choice was not up to her. The life of a quiet housewife was not for Joss, but at least her baby girl could be the Alpha Bitch. And, Alice admitted to herself, John was better looking than the accountant, who had gone thick around the middle. Actually John was better looking than just about any other man in NYC….

Alice's thoughts were interrupted as the front door of the apartment opened, and she came charging out of the kitchen to throw her arms around her daughter. Joss lovingly embraced her mother while sniffing the air. She was shocked at how much she could smell now. In the hospital she had assumed that the powerful smells were just part of the hospital. Now that she was home in familiar surroundings, she realized just how much her senses of smell and hearing had been magnified by her turning. She didn't just smell Alice's ham, she smelled the meat and each spice in the glaze individually. It was a bit overwhelming to her.

A bit unsure of herself, Joss looked over at John. John was watching her carefully and gave her an encouraging smile and a nod. Having turned several people before Joss, he knew that the heightened senses could be a lot for a new Wolf to take and he was determined that Joss's transition be as smooth as possible.

Usually when someone asked him to turn them, he made them wait for a few months and think about it before he bit them. He wanted them to be sure they wanted to change, that it was not just a whim to them. He had time to explain the whole process and what was expected of a new Wolf, and what the new Wolf should expect as far as their increased senses of hearing and smell. With Joss's life hanging in the balance he had not had the time to prepare her properly. Since her turning, she had been woozy on the powerful painkillers and antibiotics Dr. Mike had subscribed, and he had been chasing leads, trying to find Edwin Dalton before he made another attempt on Joss's life; so John had simply not had the time he would have liked to prepare her. The irony that he had the least amount of time to do the most important turning he would ever do, for the woman he loved, was not lost on him.

Alice missed all this, all she cared about was that her daughter was alive and well. After she hugged Joss half to death, she threw her arms around Taylor. When Taylor had been thoroughly hugged, she threw her arms around John. Joss laughed when she saw the surprised expression on John's face, but he quickly recovered and hugged her back. Deep inside, he was thinking Alice would be less than thrilled with him if she knew what he truly was. Alice might not care that he was Wolf, but she would probably care if she knew just how high his body count was. He felt like a fraud amongst this happy family, he didn't belong here.

John slowly disengaged from Alice. "I should go," he said, edging to the door.

"Oh, no," Alice said, grabbing Reese by the arm. "I have been cooking for the last couple of hours, and you are going to stay and appreciate my efforts." And she dragged him into the kitchen so he could serve as her taste tester. After he had declared several dishes delicious, she shoved a bottle of wine into his hands and ordered him to open it and pour the adults a glass. Reese knew when he was beat, so he decided to surrender and stay for dinner. Besides, that ham did smell really good.

Joss and Taylor snickered as they watched the normally large and in-charge Reese fall victim to the force of nature that was Alice. Joss was glad though, she did not want Reese to leave. Every moment she spent in his company when someone was not shooting at them was a precious gift to her and she was hoarding her gifts greedily.

Dinner was excellent, Alice had outdone herself and John was very glad he had not left. It felt good to be normal, even if it was just for a little while. Alice had strategically seated him across from Joss, so he that he had to look at her throughout the meal. Not that he minded, he loved looking at her. He had to work hard to keep from staring at her when she laughed or smiled. In the company of her family she did both often. The deadly serious Detective Carter morphed into the smiling, relaxed Joss around her mother and her son. John hoped he could have that affect on her someday.

After dinner, John made Joss sit down while he and Taylor helped Alice clean up. He then walked Alice to her car, accepting another hug and a big "Thank you" before he saw her off.

When he returned to the apartment, he noted that it was time for Joss's medications. He had her take them and sent her to bed. He was preparing to bunk down on the couch, when Taylor stopped him. "John, I know you slept in mom's bed in the hospital and I'm OK with it."

"Um, you do know I was fully clothed and I slept on the top of the blankets, right?" John actually felt embarrassed to be busted by the kid, and he felt a blush spread across his cheeks.

"Yeah, I know, but I'm OK with it if you decide to try it the other way. Night." And with that, Taylor went to bed.

John decided since Taylor was OK with him sharing Joss's bed, he was going to. She was rapidly getting better and he had only few days until she didn't need him anymore and sent him away, so he might as well enjoy it while he could. Gently he opened the bedroom door and slipped in. "I was wondering if you were coming", Joss grumped at him as she moved over to make room. He settled down onto the bed and waited while she arranged herself with her head on his chest.

"I wasn't sure I should, since Taylor is here," he said pulling her close.

Joss giggled. "John, he's fifteen, and he's a smart kid. Besides, we aren't doing anything other than sleeping."

"I know, Joss. I just wasn't sure how much he already knew and how much you wanted him to know"

Joss yawned. "Don't insult his intelligence, John. It's OK."

John held her tight. "I'll keep that in mind. Now get some rest."

"Are you going to stay?"

"Yes, I'll be here, for as long as you want me around." _Hopefully for long time_, he silently added. He absently stroked her hair.

"We are going to have to talk about this eventually," Joss said, sleepily.

Johns kissed the top of her head. "I know, but not tonight. When you're better and when you're a little more used to being Wolf, then we can talk."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Over the next week, the search for Edwin Dalton continued unsuccessfully. The numbers were fairly quiet and John basically moved in to protect Joss.

Joss had not spent a lot of time with John in a non-business capacity. They had done several stakeouts together and had talked then, but John had always been guarded. Slowly he let a few more cracks in his armor appear and he let her in just a little bit more every day.

Joss discovered that John was a good cook and an even better nurse. She discovered that he was a sports fan and remained loyal to the Seattle teams, having grown up in Washington state. He enjoyed playing basketball and he and Taylor played a few one-on-one games with Joss happily cheering them on while she sunned herself on a bench.

John continued to sleep in her bed holding her at night and he slowly opened up to her, telling her things about his childhood and Army days that he had not told anyone else. He told her about things he had done in the CIA and she held him while the tears fell. He made her laugh with his tale of an unfortunate run-in he had with some very fresh octopus sushi in Korea, and his impersonation of Christopher Walken. Every night she fell asleep just a little more in love with the man, and he with her.

Taylor, for his part, was more than happy to have John around. He had admired Reese since John had saved him from Elias, and knowing that John had his mother's back made him feel a lot better about her dangerous job. Taylor was also glad to have a man around that he could talk with since he never really felt comfortable discussing certain topics, mostly related to girls, with his mom; she tended to go into hyper-protective mom-mode too easily. Taylor was actually a bit surprised by how easily John slid into the father-figure role, he had expected the Bad Ass to basically ignore him.

The few times John had no choice but to leave Joss, he insisted that Finch or Fusco stay with her. Edwin Dalton was still out there, and John was not about to give him another shot at her.

Carter had not had a lot of contact with Finch, so she did not know what to expect when John insisted he come stay with her while he was out on a case. She knew Finch was well educated, filthy rich and his real name wasn't really Finch. She knew nothing about the man personally other than those little dribbles of information. She should not have worried. She discovered that despite his high dollar vocabulary, as Fusco had called it, he could be quite funny and charming. He brought her some books to read, mostly classics, and Joss found that quite sweet. To Taylor's delight he was also an inspiring math and literature tutor.

One night, Carter heard voices in the living room after she had gone to bed. Curious, she got out of bed, and went to see what was going on. To her surprise she found Reese, Finch and Taylor dissecting the latest first person shooter game. Finch had reverse engineered the algorithms the programmers had used and was guiding Reese and Taylor through the various levels. The boys were beating the game in record time. Joss smiled and went back to bed, leaving them to their fun.

When Fusco took a turn staying with Carter, he briefed her on the search for Dalton over a pizza. "I don't know where he disappeared to, Joss," Lionel grumbled. "His passport got taken away, we have an APB out on him; it's like he just vaporized."

"Well, he does have lots of money; that will buy you a lot. Like a new ID, including a new passport."

Fusco growled a low wolfish growl of pure frustration deep in his throat. "You and the ADA are not going to be safe until we nail this creep. I asked Finch to see if he can track him, but even Glasses is coming up with nothing but goose eggs."

Joss shrugged, "Since John got the hit man to flip, I don't think Dalton is dumb enough to try anything again. If I were him, I would be putting as much distance between me and NYC as I could. I'll bet he bought a new passport on the black market and he's currently kickin' it in Cabo."

"Yeah that would be the smart thing, but I don't think he's that smart. He was dumb enough to kill that girl in front of witnesses and think he could get away with it because of his mother's money". Fusco shook his head, "All his advantages in life, all he had to do to be successful was not screw up but he screwed up big time. That boy ain't right, Carter, I'm tellin' ya".

* * *

John shared Lionel's less than flattering assessment of Dalton, and continued to be very reluctant to leave Joss alone. But after a week went by with no sign of the playboy murderer, Joss persuaded Reese to relax a bit. A particularly tricky number had come up and it required all of John's, Lionel's and Harold's attention. Joss felt frustrated that John would not let her help, and it was pretty obvious that the boys really could use all the help they could get. But over-protective John was adamant that Joss remain on the sidelines a little while longer.

"You are still getting used to being Wolf, you're not ready to be out in the field," he insisted.

"John, I'm fine, the gunshot wound is almost completely healed," Joss said.

"It's not just the bullet wound, Joss, it's the turning as well. You're still getting overwhelmed by scents and sounds with your new Wolf senses. I won't risk you. Not until I know you're comfortable with the change."

Joss growled at him in frustration, then looked surprised when she realized what she was doing. This did not go unnoticed by John and he smirked at her. "See?" He said. "You're still adjusting. You stay home."

Joss rolled her eyes, "Alright you win, this time, Mr. Alpha, but I don't need a babysitter anymore. You guys can concentrate on the case; I'll be fine at home alone."

John gave her a long hard stare, criminals had been known to wet themselves under that stare, but Joss Carter simply glared back. "Promise me you won't go anywhere? You will stay home?" John growled.

Joss snarled, and this time she was fully aware of what she was doing. "Yes, I promise. Now will you please go? The number needs you."

John unexpectedly reached out and cupped her face tenderly with his large hand. "I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise," he said, gently.

Joss placed her hand over his and smiled back at him, "I'll be here." She could not stay mad at him.

That evening, Joss crawled into bed in her bedroom in the back of the apartment. She sighed as she realized that this would the first time since she had been shot that she would be going to bed by herself. She laughed at herself for getting so used to John after only a couple of weeks, but she knew it had to end sometime. It had been nice while it lasted though. Secretly she hoped John would be back, not being alone felt good, really good.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her Wolf ears picked up the sound of someone picking the lock on her front door. She paused, listening intently. It wasn't John, he wasn't that clumsy, and he was almost as fast with his lock picking tools as she was with her key. Whoever this was, they were not a friend.

Joss slid from her bed and moved silently towards the front door, gun in hand. She paused by Taylor's bedroom door and peeked in, and was relieved to find that he was still asleep. Without Wolf hearing, he had not heard a thing. She gently shut the bedroom door, and continued towards the front door. Whoever was trying to break in was still having trouble with the lock.

Joss reached the door and put her hand on the door knob, intending to jerk the door open and confront the intruder. Unfortunately, the person on the other side of the door picked that exact second to give up on the lock picking and kick the door open. The door hit Joss hard, knocking the gun out of her hand and spraining her wrist.

Joss looked into the crazed eyes of Edwin Dalton. He smelled strongly of alcohol and was very disheveled. Carter realized that she was dealing with a very desperate man, without her gun and with a hurt wrist. This was not good.

"MOM!" She heard Taylor call out to her, but she didn't dare turn her head and take her eyes off Dalton. "Call 911!" She shouted back as Dalton lunged for her. She nimbly dodged his attack and delivered a blow to the side of his head as he charged past her. Dalton went down to one knee and swore. Carter took a second to look around for her gun, but realized it was down the hallway and Dalton was between it and her.

Dalton struggled to his feet and pulled a gun from his pocket. Before he could turn and aim it, Carter tackled him, knocking the gun out of his hand. He punched her in the face, but she managed to hang on and return the blow by smashing the heel of her hand in his nose, breaking it and temporarily stunning him. Dalton grabbed his nose screaming in pain while Carter rolled off him and lunged for his gun, which was laying on the floor not too far away. He tried to grab her leg, but she kicked him in the chest. That gave her the advantage she needed to make it to the gun, turn, and aim it at him.

"Go ahead, give me an excuse," she snarled at him, panting heavily. Dalton shrank from her, realizing that he was defeated.

A few minutes later, one of the local cops, Officer Sanchez, who Joss knew in passing, came racing into the apartment, his own gun drawn. He took one look at Carter and one look at the beaten and bloody Dalton. "Damn, Carter," he said. "Remind me to stay on your good side."

Sanchez cuffed Dalton as a couple of other officers arrived and took her statement. Paramedics were called to tend to her bruised face and sprained wrist while Taylor hovered protectively over his mother.

Fusco came striding through the door a little while later looking grim. Forensics was processing the apartment and the paramedics had left after wrapping Carter's wrist.

"Fusco, what are you doing here? Don't you have a case to be working on?" Joss was annoyed; she knew who had sent him and why he was here. She was going to kill Mr. Over-Protective if he put someone's else's life in danger to protect her when she didn't need it.

Lionel ignored her and turned to the Forensics tech. "You about done here?" The forensics analyst nodded. "Just few more minutes, detective."

"Good, I think we need to get the lady back to bed." Fusco looked at Joss and jerked his head towards the bedroom door. Joss caught his meaning.

"Oh, no." She snapped.

"Oh, yes." Fusco shot back. "Go to bed, Joss," he said, carefully enunciating each word for emphasis.

Joss snarled a bit and she stomped off to the bedroom. She opened the door and saw just what she expected to see, John Reese standing next to her bed, arms folded, looking as angry as she had ever seen him look.

Joss shut the door behind her. "I cannot believe you pulled both you and Fusco off the case to come here and check up on me! I'm barely even hurt!" She hissed at him.

"I have a lot of time invested in keeping you alive and well, and it almost got blown to hell tonight. Excuse me for caring!" John growled right back at her as they began circling each other.

"I can take care of myself!"

"I told you, you were not alone and I meant it!"

"What about the number? They need you!"

"The number is in bed and I needed to be sure you're OK!"

"I'm fine!"

"You have a huge bruise on your cheek and your wrist is wrapped up! You don't look fine!"

"You should see the loser!"

John had to smirk at that. Then he turned serious and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I should not have left you alone. You're still vulnerable."

"John, really, I am fine. I heard him trying to break in all the way back here, and I had the strength to fight him. It wasn't even close. Dalton is in jail now, he's not getting out. I'm safe."

John just held her tighter and Joss finally relaxed into his arms, letting him hold her. Finally she stepped back. "Now don't you have someone you are supposed to be protecting?"

John stared down into her eyes. "There's a higher priority right here," he said, firmly.

Before Joss could argue further there was a tap on the door. She opened it to find Fusco standing there.

"Oh, good, you two didn't kill each other. Police are all done and gone, Alpha, but the door won't lock. Dalton blew out the door jamb. Finch says he'll get someone here first thing in the morning to fix it, but we're gonna have to have to put a table in front of it or something to keep it shut until then. You want me to stay here?"

"No, go home and get some rest, I'll stay." John said, moving towards the door.

"Hey, don't I get a vote? I don't need protection!" Joss snapped, putting a hand on John's chest as he tried to move past her to exit the bedroom.

Fusco left rapidly at that point.

John paused, obviously angry, but took a deep breath to collect himself. He turned towards her and reached up, lacing his fingers behind her head, placing his thumbs under her jaw, forcing her head up to look at him. He held her firmly like that for a few seconds while his stone cold blue eyes stared down into hers.

Joss was suddenly aware of just how strong those long, elegant fingers of his were. Despite his light touch, she was completely immobilized. She knew he was capable of snapping the neck of a grown man barehanded, and she could see the angry Wolf in his eyes, but she was not afraid of him. She knew he would never hurt her, but he was upset and the argument was about to end right here.

"Listen to me." John's voice was a low, deadly growl. "You have already been attacked once tonight, and your front door won't even shut. I am NOT leaving. I will be in your living room all night in case anyone tries to come through the broken door." His eyes changed from angry to very soft in an instant and he gently touched his forehead to hers. "I will not lose you and Taylor." And he abruptly let go of her and left the room.

Joss stood there stunned as she watched his tall frame vanish down the hallway. The look in his eyes just then had taken her breath away and she was having trouble getting it back. She slowly walked over to her bed and crawled back in. She had a lot to think about, and she doubted she would be getting any sleep that night.

* * *

Out in the living room, John pushed Joss's coffee table up against the door, holding it shut. He swept up all the splinters of wood from the shattered door jamb and threw them away. He wiped up the blood from Dalton's broken nose. He straightened out the chair that had been knocked over in the struggle and the magazines that were knocked on the floor. Finally he was out of small chores to do, and he was alone with this thoughts.

No one would not know it if they looked at him, but John was upset. Joss had had yet another close call, her second in a just a couple of weeks. Never mind that he had several close ones himself during the same span of time, he was used to it. Between special ops in the Army, The CIA, and his current position, danger had been his job his entire adult life and it was second nature to him. But to have Joss's neck on the line was a whole different ball game for him. He wasn't used to being on the other side, to being the one who worried and fretted about a loved one.

John thought about the time he was dating Jessica and he had returned from a mission with a pretty serious knife wound in his arm that required several stitches to close. Jessica had started crying when she saw it. The wound really drove home to her what a dangerous job he had, and it was the first time she asked him to quit. John had downplayed the whole thing, made a joke about it really. Now he wished he could go back in time and apologize to Jessica for being a jerk and not taking her feelings seriously.

John sat down in the armchair where Joss loved to curl up and read. It was covered in her scent and he turned his head to the side so he could inhale deeply. He found the smell of her comforting and somewhat intoxicating. He had been giving some serious thought to taking their relationship to the next level and he realized that since Joss was cop, he was going to have to learn to live with the fact that danger was a part of her job too. This was new territory for him but he would learn to live with it, for her sake.

He thought about all the reasons Joss would be his perfect mate. She had understood him almost immediately, just from watching some grainy security camera footage. She had been in the Army, she had been in a war and lost friends to that war, just like John. She needed to be on the front lines, just like him. She understood him on a level not even Finch could quite reach.

He smiled as he thought of a story Alice had told him over dinner the first night he had brought Joss home from the hospital. There had been an old man with horrible burn marks on his face who lived in their neighborhood while Joss was growing up. All the kids had been afraid of him because of his disfigurement. All that is, except his Joss, who, scornful of the other children's fear, had simply asked the man why his face was hurt. Alice had gone looking for Joss; only to find her sitting in the old man's kitchen, eating cookies, chatting amiably with him. Guts and compassion, that was his Joss. And that was why John loved her so much.

He made his decision, if he could not have Joss, he wouldn't have anyone. But would she accept him for a mate? As well as she understood him, that could be a two-edged sword. She knew that there was a very dark place in his heart, that a monster lived inside of him that had allowed him to do the bidding of Stanton and Snow in the CIA. She had been willing to confront that monster, to demand that John lock it away and find other methods to achieve his ends. But would she be willing to have that creature for a mate?


	7. Chapter 7

**This is the last chapter for this particular story, it's kinda long, but I didn't think there was a good place to break it in two, so enjoy! Since this got such an enthusiastic response, I am busy working on the sequel.**

**Once again I need to thank my Betas, Maddsgirl75, ReeseisLAVAhot and SassyJ for all their help and their excellent suggestions. They really helped me improve this story! A shout out to kspretenderfan for listening to me whine. And thanks to all the folks who left me reviews and corresponded with me. I've made some good friends on this site!**

**Chapter 7**

About a week later, after Taylor had gone to bed, John sat Joss down for the talk he had been putting off. He had been dreading this talk. Talking wasn't his strength, but he knew he had put it off long enough. It was almost a full moon, Joss would be experiencing her first change soon, and it was time to find out if she wanted to run with him.

Joss had waited patiently for John to broach the topic. She had a feeling that forcing him to talk before he was ready would be a disaster; they both needed some time to sort through their feelings. This discussion would be too important to their future to rush. Joss was ready, now it seemed John was too.

"Joss, it's nearly a full moon, we need to talk."

Joss nodded, "I think I'm feeling the full moon. I feel, I dunno, strong, eager."

John nodded. "That's the Wolf starting to come out. You'll feel like that every time the full moon approaches. But we have other things we need to discuss."

"Like?"

"Like, do you want to be a member of my pack? Do you want to run with me?"

"John, of course I do. I never considered any other alternative."

John held her face in his hands. "I didn't turn you to obligate you, I turned you to save your life. You do not have to run with my pack, there are other packs, and you don't have to run with any pack at all. You can choose to not change at all during the full moon."

"John, I know all this. I want to be with you."

Joss heard John's sharp intake of breath. "Really? You want to run with my pack?"

"I want to be with YOU." Joss repeated, looking him straight in the eye. And then she waited for John to absorb the implications of that statement

John stared into her eyes, afraid to believe what he had just heard. "Joss…" he could not speak.

Joss smiled up at him, letting her love for him shine in her eyes. "John, I love you. These past few weeks, having you around, having you care for me while I was hurt, seeing how you are with Taylor, have opened my eyes. I've been fighting my feelings for you for so long, and I'm done. I want you; I want you in my life, in my home, in my bed. Forever." She paused and looked down, afraid to see his reaction. "I can only hope you want me the same way."

John placed a finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Joss, are you sure? You know what I am, what awful things I've done."

"I also know that you've saved my life several times, saved Taylor's life, and saved the lives of so many people since I've known you. I know you have a good heart, even if you lost your way for a while. I know you, and I love you."

John pressed his forehead to hers, overwhelmed for a minute. He had wanted Joss almost from the minute he saw her that first time in the precinct, but he had never dared think she would someday return his feelings. She was a good person, and he was the kind of person good people should run screaming from.

"Joss, do you remember the night you first found out that I was Wolf? Do you remember how you asked me if I had a mate?"

Joss nodded and looked a bit embarrassed. "The question just popped out."

"I should have asked you then. Joss, will you be my mate?"

"Yes, John, I will. Nothing would make me happier."

John scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, nuzzling her neck and murmuring, "My mate, my mate". This had a surprising affect on Joss, every nerve ending was on fire, and her head dropped back and she moaned.

He laid her gently on the bed. "Do you feel it?" He asked in that same gentle tone.

"Oh God, yes. But I don't understand what's happening," Joss gasped.

"We're imprinting as mates on each other," John purred as he crawled onto the bed next to her. "Follow my lead, my love." He paused. "Last chance to turn back. If you don't want to do this, we can stop right now."

For her answer, Joss rolled over to him and nuzzled him the same way he had just done to her, keeping her voice low and gentle she repeated, "My mate, my mate." just as John had said to her. She was rewarded with his moan. "That's it, that's right. My Joss."

They began exploring each other, touching, tasting, feeling. Joss swore John's fingers left burn marks on her hyper-sensitive skin everywhere he touched her. She was panting like a dog, almost gasping for air. It was almost too much for her. She was beginning to think she was going to pass out from the sheer pleasure of it all.

Wolves are very sensuous and tactile creatures. All the touching and talking was creating a strong bond between them, and Joss could almost physically feel that bond forming in her heart and she wanted more. She wanted John so bonded to her that he would never even think of leaving her or touching another.

John wanted this, he wanted her. He wanted to be in her, to be surrounded by her, to possess her and be possessed by her. Letting go of control was hard for John, when he did people tended to die, but tonight he found it easy. He was actually eager to surrender himself completely. To his joy, he found Joss every bit as eager to surrender herself to him.

The outside world ceased to exist. There was no Finch, no numbers, even Taylor went away briefly and for a while two people, who had closed off their hearts after they had each loved and lost, finally let go of the hurt and let themselves love and be loved again.

Neither one remembered taking their clothes off. Neither one really remembered the details of that night. They only remember how they felt. John did remember how it felt to finally bury himself in her, and Joss remembered how it felt to welcome him in. To them both, it just felt right.

John began thrusting into her wildly, claiming her as his own. Joss cried his name, and he called hers. He leaned down and bit her shoulder until he tasted blood, Joss following his lead, and bit him on his shoulder at the same time. He kept thrusting until they climaxed together.

He lay on top of her for a minute and then rolled off, pulling her over to his side. She snuggled up to him, placing her head on his chest like she had for the last several weeks. He gently touched the bite mark on her shoulder. "You're marked now. You're mine."

She touched the corresponding mark on his shoulder. "And, if I understand you correctly, this means that you're mine."

John smiled at her. "Yes, that's what it means." He stroked her hair. "We are a bonded pair now. The bond is tough to break, not impossible, but very, very hard."

"In other words, you're stuck with me." She smiled up at him

"Joss," John said, his voice rough, "I have dreamed of this. There is no one else I would rather be stuck with."

* * *

John and Joss were awakened by John's ringing phone the next morning.

He gave her a quick kiss and then picked up his phone. "Yes Finch. …I'll be there in an hour…Yes, I'll tell her." He sighed, "There's a new number, and Finch says he's sorry to interrupt."

"You had better get going then, and tell him that I understand," Joss said, trying not to pout.

John kissed her again. "I'll be back tonight, it's the first night of a full moon and you have morphing practice."

Throughout the day, Joss constantly felt John's presence, even though he was not there with her physically. She knew to the minute when he wrapped up the case because she felt that wave of satisfaction that washed over him when he knee-capped the hit man who had been hired to kill the number, and when the number was safely in the car on his way to the airport to catch a flight home. It was like his ghost was there with her constantly, giving new meaning to his words; "You are not alone."

She wondered if he felt her excitement when she realized he was on his way home to her. Judging by the enthusiastic greeting he gave her; he did feel it.

"Did you feel it today? The bond?" John asked her.

She nodded. "I felt you. I knew roughly where you were, what you were doing."

"I felt it too. I like having you with me."

He held her close for a few minutes. Then he stepped back and smiled at her. "Ready for morphing practice? I'm presenting you as my mate, as the Alpha Female, tomorrow night. You need to know how to morph and you will need to run with the pack."

"OK, what do I do?" Joss said eagerly.

"First take off your clothes. You can morph with them on, but then the Wolf has to get out of them, and that often means you have to destroy them."

John and Joss took their clothes off. John morphed back and forth a few times while Joss watched so she would have a visual reference to focus on for her own change. John's change was fast, but if Joss looked closely she could see his body change shape smoothly into the Wolf.

"You won't be that fast, not at first." John explained. "You feel the air moving around you and you will feel a tingle as your body physically shifts. It doesn't hurt, but it will feel a bit odd. Just focus on what you saw me do. Close your eyes if it helps you concentrate."

Joss nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating on changing. She felt a breeze on her face and her body tingled like a small shock of electricity ran through it. It was not an unpleasant feeling, but it did feel weird to her. A few minutes later she heard John say; "That's good!" Slowly she opened her eyes, looked down, and she saw the front legs and paws of a black Wolf.

She looked up at John as he kneeled in front of her and reached out to scratch her behind her ears. She sighed and leaned into his hand, that felt so good! She resolved to scratch Bear's ears more often. John was smiling with obvious pride at his mate. "You're every bit as beautiful as a Wolf as you are a woman," he said softly. "Come, let me show you."

He led her into the bedroom where the full length mirror leaned against one wall. Joss moved tentatively for the first few steps since she was not used to walking on all fours, but she caught on quickly.

She reached the mirror and looked at herself as a Wolf for the first time. She was covered in thick glossy black fur with bright, deep brown eyes. She moved around so she could view herself from several different angles in the mirror while John watched her with pride and some amusement. He morphed into Wolf form and gently nuzzled her, then ran his tongue down her muzzle. It felt incredibly sensuous to Joss and she nuzzled him back.

John morphed back to human form. "Now do the process in reverse, focus on returning to your human form." Joss closed her eyes and felt the breeze against her face again and the tingle in her body. A couple of minutes later she opened her eyes to see that she was back to being human.

John leaned over and kissed her. "Good, now get your clothes on, we are going over to the park and you can practice running around as a Wolf. I can't have the Alpha Female doing a face plant during a pack run!" He teased her gently.

They walked to the park around the corner and ducked into a thick stand of bushes well off the path. They put their clothes into the bag they had brought with them and both morphed into Wolf form. Joss started off walking, then moved up to a trot when she felt more comfortable. Finally, she started running. It felt amazing to feel the power of the Wolf as she ran; she felt totally wild and totally free!

But her elation was short lived as her four feet got tangled up together and she went down hard with a little yelp of surprise. Her mate was instantly at her side, checking her for injuries. Shame faced, she shook it off, the only damage was to her pride and she swore John smirked at her. She got up, stretched, and started running again. This time she was incident free and after a few minutes, she cheerfully pounced on her mate. John smiled, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in a wolfly laugh as he rolled with her on the grass.

Joss felt so alive, it was bit intoxicating. She raced around joyfully and even chased a squirrel up a tree while John watched indulgently. He finally herded her back to the bushes where they had left their clothes.

"I take it you enjoyed that?" John said with a chuckle as he morphed back to human.

Joss threw her arms around her mate. "You never told me it was so fun to be a Wolf!"

John pulled her over for a long sweet kiss. "Let's get back to the apartment for some more fun." He said in a husky voice.

* * *

The next night, Joss and Taylor stood between Dr. Cho and Fusco as the pack gathered in a semicircle around their Alpha. Joss looked around, besides Lionel and Dr. Mike, she recognized Lassen and a few other staff members from the clinic where she had recuperated from her wounds. She also noticed a security camera swiveling around to focus on them, and smiled briefly up into the camera to let Finch know she was happy he was there too.

There was anticipation in the air since the entire pack understood that a big announcement was on the agenda, and quite a few of them had figured out what it was. Several women were glaring openly at Joss, but Lionel had prepared her for the fact that there were a few female pack members who were not going to be happy about Alpha's new mate and she was able to ignore them.

It helped with her confidence that Joss was dressed to kill tonight. Apparently the presentation of a new Alpha was a very big deal in Wolf culture and John made sure his mate was properly attired. She was wearing a deep red tank dress that hugged every curve without being too tight. It also showed the bonding scar from John's bite on her shoulder. Her hair and make-up were perfect and she wore a lovely gold necklace and earring set that John had given her in honor of the occasion. Stilettos showed off her gorgeous legs. When Lionel and Taylor had seen her, their jaws literally dropped.

"Damn, Carter, I had no idea you were hiding all that under those pant suits," Fusco had chuckled.

But it was currently John that was the center of attention. He stood quietly in the center of the semi-circle, wearing the dark blue suit that Joss had picked out, projecting an air of quiet authority, watching his pack assemble. Joss saw his eyes linger on the women who were glaring at her and his lip twitched in the smallest of snarls, and then he controlled his expression again. Joss caught his eye and gave him a smile. He returned it, his amazing eyes letting her know how happy he was to be announcing their mating.

"I have an announcement to make, as many of you already know," John started, as the pack quieted down. "I have taken a mate!" John paused and held out his hand to Joss. Joss, aware that every eye was on her, held her head high, walked regally over to John, and took his hand. John lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it lovingly with his eyes locked onto her face. A murmur of approval ran through the pack. John pulled Joss close and slipped an arm around her, holding her close to his side. "This is my mate, Jocelyn. We have already formed the pair bond. Treat her with the same respect you would treat me. I will consider any disrespect shown her to be disrespect to me as well." Reese threw a meaningful glance at the women who had been glaring at Joss earlier and they looked sheepish. No one wanted to be on the bad side of the Alpha.

"And this is my cub, my son, Taylor." John paused while Taylor walked over and stood next to John. "He is part of the pack now, too." A couple of the teenaged girls in the pack giggled and Taylor threw them a wink. John repressed a laugh. "I think he will fit in just fine."

Then the pack pressed forward, and everyone had their turn congratulating John and Joss. Taylor was snagged by the younger set and they went off to one side to get acquainted. Joss spent the next hour meeting her new pack, learning names and generally socializing.

After everyone in the pack had a chance to meet the new Alpha Female, Dr. Mike called out, "I think it's time for a run, Alpha!" John smiled and nodded. "Let's do it." The non-Wolf members of the pack left to go to a nearby diner to continue their socializing while the Wolves melted into the brush to change out of their clothes and morph into their Wolf forms.

Joss sent Taylor off with the rest of the non-Wolf pack members, but not before Taylor got one final dig in at John. "You know it would be a lot cooler if I could run with the rest of the pack." John cocked an eyebrow at his son and smiled. "When you're eighteen, buddy, eighteen". Taylor grumbled but went off with the other teens.

John took Joss's hand and led her into the bushes. They removed their clothing and placed them into a duffle bag they hid under a pile of leaves. John grabbed his mate and held her tightly for a minute then kissed her. "Are you ready for this, my mate? Your first Pack Run?" Joss giggled and nipped his bottom lip. "Just try to keep up, Alphaman".

A few minutes later a large salt and pepper wolf exploded out of bushes at a run with a smaller black wolf at his side.


End file.
